Past , present and future came together on a thunderstorm-filled Sunday , as President Barack Obama received an honorary doctorate and gave the commencement speech at historically black , all-male Morehouse College , where the Rev. Martin Luther King and many other prominent African-Americans spent their formative years .

After opening with several one-liners , and more smiles than we 've seen from him in the damage-control-filled recent weeks , Obama delivered a serious message to the class of 2013 .

During a speech rife with both personal and historical references , the president invoked a past full of challenges , often resulting from racism , but noted that African-Americans need to break free from that past to succeed in a globally competitive economy .

`` I understand that there 's a common fraternity creed here at Morehouse : ` Excuses are tools of the incompetent , used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness , ' '' Obama said .

`` We 've got no time for excuses -- not because the bitter legacies of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely ; they have not . Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist ; we know those are still out there . It 's just that in today 's hyperconnected , hypercompetitive world , with millions of young people from China and India and Brazil -- many of whom started with a whole lot less than all of you did -- all of them entering the global workforce alongside you , nobody is going to give you anything that you have not earned , '' he said .

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`` Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was . Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination . And moreover , you have to remember that whatever you 've gone through , it pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured -- and they overcame them . And if they overcame them , you can overcome them , too , '' he said .

Morehouse valedictorian Betsegaw Tadele praised Obama for setting a strong example .

`` There is no impossible . There is no unbelievable . There is no unachievable , if you have the audacity to hope , '' Tadele said , paraphrasing the name of the president 's 2006 book , `` The Audacity of Hope . ''

Following Tadele -- whom Obama jokingly called `` a skinny guy with a funny name '' -- Obama reflected on how being an African-American has affected his personal journey .

`` Whatever success I have achieved , whatever positions of leadership I 've held , have depended less on Ivy League degrees or SAT scores or GPAs , and have instead been due to that sense of connection and empathy , the special obligation I felt , as a black man like you , to help those who need it most ; people who did n't have the opportunities that I had -- because there , but for the grace of God , go I. I might have been in their shoes . I might have been in prison . I might have been unemployed . I might not have been able to support a family . And that motivates me , '' the president said .

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The president 's repeated mention of connection to the black community comes after blunt criticism from Morehouse alumnus Kevin Johnson , a pastor from Philadelphia , who criticized Obama in an April 14 editorial in the Philadelphia Tribune , calling him `` a president for everyone , except black people . ''

Johnson gave a baccalaureate sermon on Saturday as part of Morehouse 's graduation weekend .

The president 's speech on Sunday was well-received , though the crowd had to brave some thunder and lightning and endure pouring rain .

One awkward silence came when Obama slightly deviated from his prepared remarks . He was expected to say , `` Be the best husband to your wife , or boyfriend to your partner . '' However , instead , he said `` Be the best husband to your wife , or your boyfriend , or your partner , '' eliciting some clearly confused responses from the crowd .

Later , he noted that Morehouse men can set examples for other groups that have been subjected to discrimination : Hispanics , gays and lesbians , Muslims , and women .

`` It is not just the African-American community that needs you . The country needs you . The world needs you . As Morehouse men , many of you know what it 's like to be an outsider ; know what it 's like to be marginalized ; know what it 's like to feel the sting of discrimination . And that 's an experience that a lot of Americans share , '' he said .

Obama said his job , as president , is to advocate for policies that generate more opportunity for everyone , and he implored the Morehouse grads -- and all Americans -- to `` advocate for an America where everyone has a fair shot in life . ''

`` There are some things , as black men , we can only do for ourselves . There are some things , as Morehouse men , that you are obliged to do for those still left behind . As graduates -- as Morehouse men -- you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you are about to collect . And that 's the power of your example , '' he said .

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Obama finished his speech with another message not just to the newly minted Morehouse grads , but to all Americans -- a message based on Martin Luther King 's refusal to be afraid .

`` That 's what being an American is all about . Success may not come quickly or easily . But if you strive to do what 's right ; if you work harder and dream bigger ; if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our times , then I am confident that , together , we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union , '' he said .

And despite lots of big-picture talk about success and giving back , Obama made it clear that without appropriate focus on those closest to you , big-picture accomplishments mean little .

`` Everything else is unfulfilled if we fail at family -- if we fail at that responsibility . I know that when I am on my deathbed someday , I will not be thinking about any particular legislation I passed . I will not be thinking about a policy I promoted . I will not be thinking about the speech I gave . I will not be speaking about the Nobel Prize I received . I will be thinking about that walk I took with my daughters . I 'll be thinking about a lazy afternoon with my wife . I 'll be thinking about sitting around the dinner table , and seeing them happy and healthy and knowing they were loved . And I 'll be thinking about whether I did right by all of them . ''

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President Obama gives the commencement speech at historically black college

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The president says African-Americans have `` no time for excuses '' if they want success

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An alum who has criticized Obama for doing too little for blacks spoke Saturday

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Thunderstorms marred Sunday ceremony